


The Horror and the Wild

by AdorableNihilist



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Inspired by Music, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25658485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdorableNihilist/pseuds/AdorableNihilist
Summary: Inspired by the song The Horror and the Wild by The Amazing Devil. Takes place during/after the last few episodes of the series.Catra is apprehensive about their upcoming battle with Prime, and overwhelmed by the state of things. She and Adora both struggle with nightmares in the aftermath of the episode Save the Cat. They both also struggle with their own repressed feelings and fears.A deeper look into their emotional states during/immediately after the finale.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	The Horror and the Wild

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song The Horror and the Wild by The Amazing Devil. I suggest that you give it a listen before you read, it's an amazing song. 
> 
> This is my first fan fiction in a really long time, and it's my first She-Ra fanfic, so I hope it's enjoyable.

**The Horror and the Wild**

_**You were raised by wolves and voices** _

_**Every night I hear them howling deep beneath your bed** _

Adora gasped and sat bolt upright on her bedroll, sweat beading across her forehead. She heard Catra shifting beside her, though she couldn't see her in the darkness, beneath the blankets that she'd just tossed over her in her panic. Her eyes were still adjusting to the reality of her surroundings, but she felt Catra's hand reach for hers, clawed fingertips meeting Adora's scrambling hand as it sought for something to steady her

Catra could see perfectly in the almost-pitch dark of the cave, and the sight of Adora in this familiar state sent a cold tentacle of pain and helplessness worming its way into her heart. She couldn't stand to see Adora scared like this, but she couldn't do anything besides be here. She wished that she could go into her heart and take that pain and bear it for her, but it would have to be good enough to have her here to hold her hand, if that's what she wanted. She sat up and squeezed Adora's hand gently, hoping that she wouldn't be rebuffed.

Adora looked up at Catra through glassy, unfocused eyes for a second before leaping into her arms and burying her face in the crook of her neck. Catra barely caught her, startled by the act, and wrapped her in a warm, if unsteady at first, embrace. Adora didn't cry, but she took a long moment to catch her breath, her chest heaving like she'd been running for hours. Catra ran a tentative hand gently over Adora's back, and could feel the cold sweat that had soaked through her shirt.

After a few moments of silence Catra scooted back to sit against the stack of crates behind them, pulling Adora gently with her onto her own bedroll. She offered no resistance, and Catra seated them both as comfortably as she could on the cold, hard ground. Adora's breathing evened out slowly, and Catra wondered if she'd fallen back to sleep already. She absent-mindedly began to comb her fingertips through the thick curtain of Adora's hair, her claws gently grazing the skin of her neck and scalp with barely a whisper.

Adora shuddered softly beneath the tender touch and snuggled deeper into Catra, her nose nuzzling into the warmth of her collarbone, cheek pressed so close on her shoulder, breath whispering across Catra's neck and sending shivers across her entire body. Catra felt her heart skip a beat and wrench as awe and apprehension overtook her once more at the current state of her life. This was everything she'd ever wanted, but she didn't know if Adora felt the same way about the little touches. Did they light Adora's skin on fire, too? Even if they did, was there any hope of ever knowing? They were probably about to die, or at least one of them.

Catra's skin began to crawl with dread, overtaking the comfortable tingling she'd been feeling. She tried to fight off the sense of doom that crept up her spine, wishing desperately to memorize the feel of Adora in her arms. Just in case it was the last time that she ever got to feel it. Soon they were going to, _hopefully_ , save their friends and take down Prime. Catra was afraid that not everyone would come back from this battle.

Adora basked in the feel of being in Catra's arms and fell back to sleep, knowing that she was safe from the terror that her mind had dragged her back to, at least for now. She was oblivious to everything except the sound of Catra's breathing and the feeling of her warmth. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed Catra's embraces. They'd always been fleeting, but they were never few. They had both been physically affectionate with each other their whole lives, and after the events on Prime's ship, Adora would never again take for granted that warmth. She'd been having a nightmare about Catra's body being very cold and limp, and it had gripped her heart in such strong ice that she'd shivered herself awake.

_**They said it all comes down to you** _

_**You're the daughter of sightless watching stones** _

_**You watch the stars hurl all their fundaments** _

_**In wonderment, at you and yours, forever asking more** _

Adora had always been a good person. She was kind and brave, even as a child. Catra had been angry and jealous and had fought her, but she'd always been a little bit in awe of Adora. She'd been deeply hurt by her abandonment, but now she understood that Adora had been right to leave. The things that the Horde would have required of her would have rotted her beautiful soul. Catra had spent many nights wishing she'd gone with her, trying to convince herself to do so after the fact but being too stubborn and angry to give in. Adora had become She-Ra because she was the only person on the whole of Etheria that Catra knew was worthy of the power.

She had fought the Horde, and Catra herself, and saved countless people. Then she'd fought Prime just to bring Catra back from the dead, and now they were home. There was always more, though. Everyone always needed more from Adora, and she always seemed to have more to give. They still had to win this war, and Catra wasn't really entirely sure that they could. She'd witnessed Adora do some truly amazing things, but Prime was terrifying. He'd been inside Catra's head, and she could still hear and feel him in her sleep.

_**You are that space that's in between** _

_**Every page, every chord and every screen** _

_**You are the driftwood and the rift** _

_**You're the words I promise I don't mean** _

_**We're drunk but drinking, sunk but sinking** _

If anyone had hope of leading them through this war, Catra knew it was Adora. She-Ra had robbed her of Adora, but it had also given Adora a power and a purpose that seemed tailor-made. Catra had watched her leave and had been cruel and vicious in her pain, lashing out endlessly. Adora had never returned that venom. She had always pulled her punches. Catra knew that now, after witnessing her true power firsthand, from the other side of the line. Sweet, kind Adora had always held out hope that Catra would stop clawing at her long enough to hear her out. Guilt gnawed at Catra as she wished once more that she had done things differently.

If she had gone with Adora all those years ago instead of lashing out like a wounded animal when she'd been hurt, she could have been sneaking tender little touches like this all along. She'd longed to run her fingers through these golden locks, to be near her, caught in her orbit once more. Adora was a star, she was certain, and she had always been captive to her field of gravity.

_**They thought us blind, we were just blinking** _

_**All the stones and kings of old will hear us screaming at the cold** _

_**Remember me I ask** _

_**Remember me I sing** _

Catra was scared that she wouldn't be able to pick her heart back up and piece it back together after this was all over. If something happened to Adora, if Catra was unable to stop her from dying, it would kill her. There would be nothing to anchor her down, and she would drift off into the void of space, alone.

She tried to fight off the dread that was chilling her, settling into Adora's warmth and leaning down to breathe in her scent. She closed her eyes and left her lips pressed to Adora's hair in a silent, stolen kiss that lingered for a long moment. She needed to sleep, and this was as close to comfortable as she'd ever been in her life, certainly in the most recent years. She purred softly, unintentionally, and Melog came and curled up along her other side so that she could drift back to sleep soundly, having sensed her tension. Their own chest rumbled with a deep purr, vibrating against Catra's knee.

Even snuggled in the middle of the two warm bodies, Catra drifted into nightmares and cold sweats, just as Adora had done earlier. She slept fitfully, dreaming again of her time on Prime's ship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catra had tried to protect Adora by sending Glimmer away, but she’d been too perfect and stubborn and had come anyway. Catra had secretly hoped that she would, although she felt guilty for it. She had suffered greatly under Prime’s thumb for her attempt to save Glimmer and Adora. She’d spent her last moments alive, before the smothering green darkness had taken her over, thinking about her life and Adora.

She tried to focus all of her being on the fading memory of Adora’s face, her corny jokes, and her sense of honor and duty. On the greatest portion of her life, almost all of which had been spent with Adora by her side. She had been a force to be reckoned with in the Horde, but as She-Ra she was nearly unstoppable. She had a pure heart, suited to being a hero. She’d always been that way. When they were kids she'd stuck up for Catra from the very beginning, often to her own detriment and always with zero hesitation.

Catra’s agony hummed in the background of her mind while she walked one last time through the halls of her memory, visiting every important moment she could in the brief time she had left. She didn't want to go yet, wanted to stay here in her mind like she'd done when she'd opened the portal. In her mind she could just exist with Adora, without a care for anything else, without fear. Before she felt ready, her body began to give out, and her walk turned to a frantic sprint of thoughts.

Her mind became too clouded to sort through the fast-moving memories of their shared childhood and their divergent paths after, but the anchor in all of them was Adora. So Catra thought about her and everything else faded away, leaving behind only her bright eyes and her shiny hair. Her dorky laugh that never failed to make Catra's stomach flip and her chest bubble with laughter the likes of which nothing else could earn.

Catra could not fight off the stinging ooze that penetrated every fiber of her being and was now choking the last of the air from her lungs, but she could spend her last breath to say Adora’s name out into the universe. She needed to say it at least once more before her life was over.

The darkness that had been creeping in at the edges of her now swept through her mind in a heavy wave and she was gone, washed out to violent green seas. Prime had said it would purify her. It burned her in every thread of herself, unraveling her and engulfing her in liquid flame until there was nothing left.

_**Give me back my heart you wingless thing** _

_**Think of all the horrors that I** _

_**Promised you I'd bring** _

_**I promise you** _

_**They'll sing of every time** _

_**You passed your fingers through my hair and called me child** _

_**Witness me old man, I am The Wild** _

She, _impossibly_ , woke up to find herself standing, fighting Adora. Adora looked like she'd already had her ass handed to her, but she was still here. Catra didn't have control of her own body, but was like a unwilling passenger. She watched from behind her own foggy eyes as she attacked viciously and repeatedly and Adora blocked her desperately. She heard Prime's voice echoing out in her head, coming out of her own mouth. Prime was taunting Adora, using Catra's voice to say horrible things, and Catra couldn't stop him.

Catra was winning this fight, but Adora wouldn’t strike her down. She was too dumb and perfect and kind, and Catra was going to get her killed for it. She was going to be the one to kill her, with Prime pulling the trigger. She railed against Prime’s control to try to keep Adora safe. That was all that mattered, even if he really killed her this time. If she could keep Prime from controlling her for even a second, maybe Adora would take her down or run away.

_Protect Adora_. She felt Prime wrestling for control and did the only thing that she could to keep from wounding Adora again. She backed away, until there was nowhere left to go. She hesitated, scared, watching in horror as Adora rushed to her. To save her. A look of absolute terror in her sky blue eyes.

For a moment, Catra let herself believe that there was hope. She currently had control of her body, and Adora promised to take her home. Catra reached out to her, desperately wanting to go with her now and leave this terrible place. “ _Promise_?” Prime's relentless assault staggered her, and Catra felt her control slipping. Her clawed digits twitched as she struggled against him. Her neck was on fire, making it hard to maintain her grip on her mind and body. _'You can't protect Adora.'_ Prime's voice chuckled inside her head, making her immediately and violently nauseated.

Adora was going to die to save Catra, and Catra’s heart shattered completely at the thought of it. The dark realization had her overwhelmed and she lost the battle against Prime for control of her body. She felt him take over, becoming a passenger once more, and his voice came from her lips. “Some creatures are destined only for destruction.” She felt her whole body alight with a painful shock, and he tipped her over the edge while she struggled to stay conscious through the fog of all-encompassing pain.

Air rushed past in what should have been a deafening, yet was somehow silent, roar as she fell for what felt like forever. She heard Adora’s agonized cry echoing above her as she drifted ever downward, time slowed. Then she saw that Adora had followed her over the edge. They'd always said they'd go down together, but it crushed her to see how that manifested itself now.

Catra was vaguely, passively, aware of her body as she slammed to the floor, but she couldn’t fully comprehend what had happened before darkness began to seep into her vision. Mercifully, she was conscious just long enough to feel Adora lifting her into her lap. She struggled out a greeting, hoping against all odds that it wouldn't be her last. If it was, she supposed it was the best ending that she could hope for. It felt like she was using her last ounce of breath to utter Adora's name, and a strange sense of peace washed over her at the thought as the void claimed her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adora went back to her own nightmares, despite Catra's comforting presence. Their draw was too strong, the wounds on her soul still too fresh.

_**You are the son of every dressing up box** _

_**And I am time itself** _

_**I slow to let you play** _

_**I steal the hours and turn the night into day** _

Adora crawled on her battered knees, despite the pain radiating from every part of her body, and cradled Catra’s limp form. “ _Hey, Adora..._ ” Catra's breathing was so _weak_ , so _fragile_. It rattled out of her battered body with so little air behind it.

' _This is not how this was supposed to end.'_ She was going to take Catra home. She was finally going to tell her how she felt, she was going to hope that Catra could still be saved because she needed her. _She needed Catra in her life_. She’d spent the last few years having nightmares and crying herself back to sleep and missing her. Thoughts of her and hopes for a reconciliation had always been on Adora’s heart and mind, and had motivated her and kept her warm when she'd been scared and cold.

_Prime had taken Catra._ He had taken the only thing that had kept Adora from being brutally cold and lethal in her endeavors. He'd taken the only thing that held her back.

He’d miscalculated how much Adora loved Catra, and how absolutely raw the wound caused by her absence would be. Adora's soul felt like it had been rent in two, and deep inside her something snapped. White-hot fury surged to life in her core, the flames licking at her tear-clouded eyes as she felt She-Ra's power rush over her.

She would shred his entire fleet with her bare hands if she had to, with or without She-Ra’s mighty power to help her. Luckily, She-Ra was here to help her execute her fury. She slung Catra's body over her shoulder and leapt into action, her vision blurred by rage. She felt like a passenger along for a terrifying and thrilling ride as she destroyed everything that stood between her and the ship without a single thought beyond complete and utter destruction.

_**Day by day oh lord three things I pray** _

_**That I might understand as best I can** _

_**How bold I was, could be - will be - still am, by god still am** _

Adora would go across the entire universe and erase every trace of Prime’s touch. She would tear his entire army and history apart and burn it all until all that was left were the whispers of how she had left his empire in cinders, as he'd done to so many civilizations before. She would possibly burn up in the righteous flames and then her heart wouldn’t hurt like this anymore.

She would save Etheria, but Etheria would be empty for her without Catra. She would try to save Catra if she had to burn everything in the universe to the ground to do it, herself included. She would make Prime suffer for daring to harm her, even more so if she couldn't bring Catra back somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_**Fret not dear heart, let not them hear** _

_**The mutterings of all your fears, the fluttering of all your wings** _

Catra, for the second impossible time, had opened her eyes to find herself on Adora’s ship, alive. Adora was there, also still alive. Catra was still chipped, but Prime wasn’t in control anymore. She could feel him still in the back of her mind, like an oozing shadow that crept around just out of sight, making all of her hair stand on end, but for now she seemed to be in control of herself.

Adora had really kept the promise to bring Catra home. She’d managed to save her, _somehow_ , from what Catra was certain had been death. They didn't really have time to discuss it right now, but she had a lot of questions about what had occurred between her last moments and now. She wondered if she _was_ actually dead, and she'd just been granted some kind of peaceful hallucination in purgatory.

Adora and the others spent the trip home assuring her that she was, in fact, alive once more. She-Ra's healing powers had dragged her back from the other side, but had still left her feeling like she'd fallen several stories. She was supposed to be resting when they'd gotten back on the ship, but she couldn't. She couldn't close her eyes without seeing his face, and every time rage and terror bubbled to the surface, searing and scorching her like his 'purification' had. She would end Prime herself, for violating her in ways she'd not known existed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_**Welcome to the storm, I am thunder** _

_**Welcome to my table bring your hunger** _

They all woke the next day and began planning their assault on Prime's forces, from their hideout in the cave. Catra recalled the feeling of Adora snuggled against her side and steeled herself, tucking that warmth deep into her heart to try and keep herself going. She watched Adora lead as she'd always been so good at doing, and fear of losing her to Prime gnawed at Catra's soul greedily. Prime had to be punished, had to be destroyed. _Everything_ was riding on this.

_**Think of all the horrors that I** _

_**Promised you I'd bring** _

_**I promise you, they'll sing of every time** _

_**You passed your fingers through my hair and called me child** _

_**Witness me old man, I am The Wild** _

Catra would prove herself worthy of Adora. She had to help her win this battle, had to find a way to make sure that she lived through it. Catra needed her. She could not deny her love for Adora any longer or it would burn her up inside and leave nothing behind but ash.

_**Remember me** _

_**Remember me** _

Adora continued to give and _give_ , and it hurt Catra deeply to see it happening in front of her. Adora was a willing martyr, throwing herself with wild abandon at every problem that arose and trying to bear the weight of the entire universe on her shoulders. Adora would end up getting herself killed for all of these people that Catra didn't even know. And Catra would be _destroyed_ by the loss of her. Catra would be left behind again, nothing left of Adora for her, and this time she was positive that it would reduce her to dust.

_**Remember me** _

_**Remember me** _

Catra wouldn’t be able to protect Adora from Prime. She would have to watch her die, like she thought she’d been doing when they both plummeted too many stories to count. It was bone-chilling and blood-curdling to think of, and she knew that she couldn’t survive it a second time.

If she distracted Adora and made her fail, she would be the reason for her death. Every near-death she’d suffered had been Catra’s fault. So Catra ran, as fast as she could, from Adora and the thought of losing her. She was the only person Catra had ever loved, would ever love. She was everything, and Catra would leave before she would watch her be taken away, before she would play a part in her demise.

_**Remember me** _

_**Remember me** _

Catra grabbed her backpack and headed out silently, listening one last time to Adora's breathing as she slept. That sound would have to be enough to carry her through the rest of her life, however long that ended up being. It was likely the last memory she would have of Adora. She felt tears stinging behind her eyes, but ignored them and marched on. Melog followed her and protested, but Catra ignored them, too. She heard Adora call out to her and broke into a sprint, desperate to get away before Adora could convince her to stay.

_**Remember me** _

_**Remember me** _

Stupid, oblivious Adora tackled her and grasped her by the wrists and _begged_ her to stay, and she had to fight herself not to cave in under the wounded look in Adora's eyes. Words flew between them, and tears broke the dam and streamed in hot rivulets down Catra's cheeks. “What do _you_ want, Adora?”

“I _have_ to do this, Catra. I'm the only one who can.” So there it was, once more. Adora's voice was pleading, but Catra's heart was hardened to it now. Duty would be the death of her love. Catra disappeared into the woods and left Adora sitting there in shocked silence. She refused to watch the woman she loved throw herself on her sword for everyone else. Adora's pained shout rang out against the trees, making Catra's heart wrench and her stomach drop. “ _Catra!_ ” It took everything in her to ignore the sound of Adora crying and continue on her way. The sound haunted her until she'd walked far off into the dense trees, echoing through them and chasing her like an angry ghost.

_**Remember me I ask** _

_**Remember me I sing** _

Melog continued to try to convince Catra to turn around. After a while they suddenly planted their paws and turned to face Catra in an attempt to cease her walking. _“Is it Prime that has you running in fear, or Adora?”_ “Don't be _stupid_ , I'm not afraid of Adora!” She hissed, wiping angrily at the tears that fell from her eyes. Melog pounced on her now, planting their paws firmly on either side of her shoulders and laying their full weight atop her to hold her down and force her to listen. _“You are stubborn, child. If you will not stop, I will stop you. You are afraid of the feelings you have for her. I am not stupid, or blind. Turn around, Catra. Adora needs you. She wants you by her side.”_ “Adora doesn't want me! Not like I want her!” Now tears poured from Catra's eyes faster than she could clear them away, and Melog softened their approach. They leaned down and placed a soft kiss to her cheek, purring against her chest to calm her.

Catra sat up and embraced them, grateful for their comforting presence. A sound came from behind them, and Melog hid her without hesitation, both of them disappearing into the surroundings. A clone emerged from the trees and came into sight, and Catra followed him to see where he was going. There, at the edge of the woods she'd been blindly marching through, there was some kind of towering machine. It was poised high above the ground, and tons of clones swarmed the area. Her gaze was caught once again by the clone she'd followed as he stumbled and turned, scanning the area she stood in as though he knew that she was there, despite her being invisible.

He then abruptly turned back to the path he'd been treading and continued, going to some kind of interface near the machine and speaking. “My brothers, the time has come at last. No longer shall She-Ra stand in my way. The Heart shall be laid bare, its power mine for the taking.” Catra was certain that it was Prime that spoke through this clone's lips, and a shiver of dread ran like an ice cube down her spine. The other clones immediately began to chant loudly, their droning voices reminding Catra of her time on his ship, under his control. She felt ill in the pit of her stomach, like dread had cast a boulder into her belly. He was going to do something to the Heart, and to She-Ra in the process.

_She-Ra._ **Adora.**

Catra's sense of dread grew now to a size and strength she'd never known. _She had to warn Adora._ If it was the last thing she ever did. She would die to keep Adora safe, so that she wouldn't know how badly it would hurt to exist in this world without her. Either they both lived, or only Adora did. She would be fine without Catra, she had been for years already. But Catra would be a husk floating across the cosmos without a star to guide her if she somehow lived through this and Adora didn't.

It had to be some kind of fate that she and Adora had never been able to stay out of each other's lives. They'd fought on opposite sides of a war that Catra had never really cared about, because it was where the pieces fell when the universe dropped them and Catra had been too stubborn to try and move them. It had to be destiny that Adora had been in her life from the beginning. Even if Adora didn't love her back, she couldn't let her die. She would follow her into oblivion, to the very ends of the universe, because she knew that if she didn't she would regret it more than any of the terrible things she'd ever done.

_**Think of all the horrors that I** _

_**Promised you I'd bring** _

_**I promise you, they'll sing of every time** _

_**You passed your fingers through my hair and called me child** _

She would punish Prime. For what he did to her. For what he was trying to do to her home. For trying to take Adora from her. She would claw his eyes out if Adora didn't take him down first. There was a raging fire burning in her stomach now, replacing the pit of terror and driving her to action. She _wouldn't_ run away this time. She'd never run from a fight before, and she would never run from Adora again, even if it broke her heart to stay. If it broke her heart to love and be unloved, so be it.

_**Witness me old man, I am the** _

_**Think of all the horrors that I** _

_**Promised you I'd bring** _

_**I promise you, they'll sing of every time** _

_**You passed your fingers through my hair and called me child** _

****They fought like hell against Prime, and Catra thought several times that her next move would be her last. She'd been seriously wounded, and had watched by Adora's side as Shadow Weaver sacrifice herself. She'd helped Adora stumble to the Heart of Etheria, only to find her unable to summon She-Ra, weakened by the same poison that surged through Catra's veins like boiling tar. Adora had been prepared to sacrifice herself, asking Catra to leave. Catra refused.

Catra watched her drift in and out of consciousness, the Heart collapsing around them, the world plunged into chaos. She begged Adora to stay this time, talking her back from the edges of oblivion. “Don't you get it? _I love you_. I always have. So please, _just this once_ , stay!” She buried her nose in Adora's neck, bracing herself and knowing that at any moment they would be crushed beneath the rubble of the exploding Heart or electrocuted by the random lightning strikes flaring around them. Before that could happen, Adora drew her shield up over Catra's body, protecting them both from the falling wreckage and blasts of magic.

“ _You love me_?” Stubborn, ridiculous Adora sat up in her embrace and asked in a quiet voice full of awe and obliviousness. “You're such an idiot.” Catra chuckled, wondering how Adora could be so blind to it. “I love you too.” Catra's heart leapt into her throat and her eyes widened in surprise at the words. It occurred to her that perhaps Adora wasn't the only idiot. Her expression softened and she leaned in close, pressing her lips to Adora's in a tender kiss. If nothing else, Catra felt lighter for having finally said those words out loud, after secretly knowing them for so long.

To Catra's further surprise, She-Ra's power and that of the Failsafe now surged through Adora, and the rumbling around them ceased. Adora broke their kiss and rose, and Catra watched her as she towered above her while offering a hand to help her to her feet. Catra stood and She-Ra dropped her hand, turning to the entrance of the Heart. Catra watched as She-Ra strode from the Heart, cloaked in a cascade of rainbow light that rippled and grew, nearly blinding her in its intensity.

Somehow, when it was all said and done, she stood on a hill and overlooked a totally new world. She had suffered greatly, but lived, and had fought by Adora's side and pulled her back from what had seemed like a point of no return. Adora had started to slip away, and Catra could not stay silent through it. She'd asked Adora to stay, and this time she did.

She stayed, and they had won. Adora had brought magic back to Etheria. She'd brought magic back to Catra. She'd kissed Adora and it had been like every fiber of Catra's being had lit up with electricity, but without the pain that had always accompanied Shadow Weaver's, warming her tired soul and breathing life into her once more.

She'd intended to simply settle for dying by Adora's side as the world descended into chaos around them, resigning herself to it and being thankful for such a merciful end to her painful existence, but Adora just didn't know how to give up, and Catra had never been more grateful for her unwavering resolve. A great weight had been lifted from Etheria, and everyone and everything seemed to hum with renewed life now.

The sky was more beautiful than it had ever been, the landscape more lush. It was like nothing anyone had seen in _lifetimes_. Catra had watched it all in awe as She-Ra left her side to continue to heal the planet, and as much as she wanted to be in Adora's arms again, she knew that she had to share her for now. She would find a quiet moment later to speak with her, when the disbelief of their victory was less fresh. She would take whatever amount of love Adora was willing to give her, and she could not wait to find out what that felt like.

For now she went to find Scorpia, one of the precious few people Catra had ever known as a true friend, to apologize. She was met with immediate forgiveness from Scorpia, and hearty acceptance from Perfuma, followed by the others. They enveloped her in warm arms, all kindness and forgiveness in a way that Catra knew she didn't deserve. It warmed her heart and made it ache with its fullness.

_**Witness me old man** _

_**Old man** _

_**Old man** _

_**I am the** _

Catra's heart leapt wildly in her chest, but she spoke calmly as she approached Adora, who stood alone at a distance, staring at the horizon. “Adora?” She asked tentatively, still not fully believing that this had all happened. She felt intoxicated, delirious and giddy. Adora took her hands and pressed her forehead to Catra's, and spoke in a soft, intimate whisper. “It's over. He's gone.” Her voice had never been so soft, or so full of relief and peace. The sound of it was music to Catra's ears, and she found herself purring softly as she replied. “ _Good riddance_.”

Caught in the gravity of Adora's embrace and their shared relief, Catra didn't notice that Glimmer and Bow were approaching. Before she could register their presence, they had tackled the pair and the four of them rolled down the hill into soft grass. Before, she would have been annoyed. Now she could find herself feeling nothing except for overwhelming peace and calmness like she'd never known possible. She laughed along with them, her heart soaring and skipping along happily. She felt truly happy for probably the first time in her life. She felt wild and free, completely liberated of Prime's control. She had Adora, here, holding her hand. This was so much more than she could ever have dreamed possible.

In her wildest hopes she'd never fathomed having something so wonderful, so utterly fantastic. Adora would go out into the universe to bring magic back in other places, and Catra would go with her. She would always go with her, for as long as Adora would have her. They would see the universe again, this time without Prime's influence tainting the experience. They would soar among the stars, and Adora would always be the brightest of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think of it, and what you think of the song! The Amazing Devil is one of my favorite bands.


End file.
